ERP Implementation Scope Statement
This is a practical guide to building a scope statement for an erp implementation project — a definition of deliverables, boundaries and acceptance criteria, adapted to the realities of replacing or deploying an enterprise resource planning system across the whole organisation.
What a Scope Statement is
A scope statement is a definition of deliverables, boundaries and acceptance criteria. For the full concept and how it works in general, see Scope Statement. On an erp implementation project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for an ERP Implementation project
ERP Implementation projects live or die on replacing or deploying an enterprise resource planning system across the whole organisation. A well-built scope statement gives the team a shared, explicit reference for exactly that — reducing ambiguity, aligning stakeholders, and making problems visible early enough to act. Skipping it, or doing it generically, is how erp implementation projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.
What to include
- Deliverables
- In scope
- Explicitly out of scope
- Acceptance criteria
- Constraints and assumptions
ERP Implementation-specific considerations
Tailor the scope statement to the risks that most often derail erp implementation projects:
- Under-estimated data migration
- Business-process change resistance
- Customisation over-reach
Example
On a real erp implementation project, the scope statement would be shaped by replacing or deploying an enterprise resource planning system across the whole organisation. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — under-estimated data migration, business-process change resistance, customisation over-reach — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.